Book Report – Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery

While many beer lovers in the NW may never have tried a beer from Brooklyn Brewery, chances are you’ve at least heard of them. They’ve become a strong force in the New York and East Coast market over the years, and they make some fantastic beers (Their Chocolate Stout being at the top of the list). Founders Steve Hindy and Tom Potter saw a great opportunity and need for a New York based brewery, and they haven’t turned back since launching Brooklyn in 1987.

This is really a story of what the two founders went through to build their brand and grow the business. If you’ve ever thought of launching your own business, in particular a brewery, then this is a great read. Their ambition for the business is a bit larger than your average corner brewpub, but many of the same lessons might still apply. This is a book about business; the focus on the beer itself is secondary. As long as you know that going in, you should enjoy it.

Both Tom and Steve tell a good story, and there are plenty of laughs and tense moments throughout the book. The climax for me was towards the end of the book when Tom/Steve were in the process of trying to sell the distributor business they had built along with the brewery. The descritpion of Tom’s meeting with Sierra Nevada reps(Whom they currently represented in NYC) and the new large distributer that Sierra wanted to switch to was stressful and hilarious at the same time. As Tom said, “There were nine people in the room, and eight of them were mad at me.” Tom was stuck in this room getting screamed at by senior execs and not having much good news to come back at them with. It’s a tough spot to imagine yourself in.

Overall, Beer School is entertaining and informative. It tells the story of the brewery while throwing in some history from NYC’s brewing past and personal insight to the beer business. While I was hoping for more discussion of their beer and Brewmaster Garret Oliver, I now understand that just was not the intent of the book. There are plenty of other books about beer, but this is a good one about the business of beer.